6 Most Dangerous Prescription Drugs You Should Think Twice Before Taking

You may trust your doctor, but it does not necessarily mean that every medication he prescribes is safe for you. The latest studies have shown that many of the popular prescription drugs have potentially serious side-effects, ranging from short-term nausea and headaches to chronic inflammatory myopathy and heart disease — and in some cases even worse.

The world is not aware of this important information, and still believes in the myth that the benefits of FDA-approved drugs far outweigh any possible risks. To make things clear for you, in this article we have covered six classes of prescription drugs that are not quite health-friendly.

1. Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs)

Millions of people in the US, and many more throughout the world take PPIs to alleviate the symptoms of gastroesophaegal reflux disease (GERD), a health condition characterized by food and acid in the stomach that leak back to the esophagus and cause damage. But, PPIs like Nexium (exomeprazole) and Prevacid (lansoprazole) block the nutrient absorption and inhibit the production of necessary stomach acid. This leads to many other health problems.

FDA has issued a dozen warnings about the side-effects of PPIs, including an increased risk of bacterial diarrhea, magnesium deficiency, and bone fractures. Regular and long-term consumption of PPIS is associated with an increased risk of pneumonia and unhealthy weight gain.

2. Statins

Statins have been the top-selling class of drugs for the several past years. These drugs are hailed by the medicine as a “miraculous” cure for high cholesterol and heart diseases. However, statin drugs like Lipitor (atorvastatin calcium) and Crestor (rosuvastatin calcium) actually increase the risk of diabetes, liver disease, brain damage, muscle atrophy, and even premature death.

Statins have many side-effects, and some of them are so severe that the FDA recently issued official warnings associated with their use.

In addition to this, many studies have confirmed that the consumption of statins for primary prevention does not bring that much good as expected, meaning that this drug class is medically useless for the millions of healthy people who are supposed to take the medications.

3. Antibiotics

These are the leading cause of antibiotic-resistant “superbugs.” They do not provide much benefit, and their use can cause long-term health problems. Antibiotics are often prescribed for conditions that do not even respond to their properties, and the long-term abuse by the system has actually made infections more severe and untreatable.

Shane Ellison, M.S., from The People’s Chemist, says that Levaquin (levofloxacin), Vancocin (vancomycin hydrochloride), and Bactrim (trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole) are the three most dangerous antibiotics currently prescribed.

She also listed quinolones, considered as the most commonly prescribed type of antibiotics, and she noted that antibiotics like Cipro (ciprofloxacin), Avelox (moxifloxacin HCL), and Floxin (ofloxacin) may cause severe and permanent disability.

4. Antipsychotics

You may not consider these as dangerous, but antipsychotics are one of the deadliest drug classes. They are commonly prescribed for the treatment of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and severe major depression, and also for many “off-label” conditions, including mild mood disorder and everyday anxiety.

You should be more concerned about the long-term neurological and brain damage caused by the regular consumption of antipsychotics. Here we would add the high risk of metabolic syndrome, including health condditions like cardiovascular disease and diabetes. The problems goes that far, that the British Medical Journal (BMJ) declared antipsychotics to be more deadly than terrorism.

5. Opioid Pain Relievers

Today, drugs are officially declared to be the leading cause of death in the US. Opioid-based painkillers like Vicodin (hydrocodone bitartrate and acetaminophen), OxyContin (oxycodone HCI), Percocet (oxycodone and acetaminophen), codeine, and morphine are on the top of the list.

The Brandeis University in Massachusetts conducted a study that showed how prescription painkillers today are responsible for causing more fatal overdosing than heroin and cocaine together. The US CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) says that there is an epidemic, regarding the terrifying number of prescription painkiller deaths.

6. Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs)

People have used antidepressants like Prozac (fluoxetine), Zoloft (sertraline), Paxil (paroxetine), and Lexapro (escitalopram) for so long, but these receive less attention than they actually deserve. Suicidal tendencies, sexual dysfunction, gastrointestinal bleeding, and heart disease are just some of the many side-effects of SSRIs.

Even worse, in some cases SSRIs worsen the symptoms of depression, and certain individuals become violent. Watch the Health Ranger’s music video S.S.R.Lies, as it is a creative glimpse at the dangers of SSRIs.